Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T02:40:24.687Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ultracentrifugal and electrophoretic studies on neonatal calf sera and maternal colostrum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

P. Johnson  and
A. E. Pierce
P. Johnson
Affiliation:
Department of Colloid Science, University of Cambridge
A. E. Pierce
Affiliation:
A.R.C. Institute of Animal Physiology, Babraham, Cambridge
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. Neonatal serum proteins and those of maternal colostrum have been examined in the Spinco analytical ultracentrifuge and the Perkin-Elmer electrophoresis apparatus. To facilitate correlations between the two types of result, certain protein fractions have been prepared electrophoretically and examined in the ultracentrifuge.

2. The electrophoretically distinguishable components of precolostral serum, albumin, α and β globulin and traces of γ globulin sedimented mainly as a single boundary which showed evidence of a slower component (probably fetuin) with a sedimentation constant of about 3S. A small proportion of a macroglobulin component (S020 ≅ 16S), associated with the α globulin, was also present. In conformity with the very low γ globulin, there was a complete lack of globulin with S020 ≅ 6·5–7·0S. The β globulin and the bulk of the α globulin sedimented closely with albumin, whose sedimentation constant in an electrophoretically isolated fraction was somewhat lower than normal, probably as a result of α-globulin contamination.

3. The electrophoretic and ultracentrifuge analysis of postcolostral calf serum showed evidence of passive absorption from the maternal colostrum of immune lactoglobulin. There was a rise in the concentration of total serum protein of which up to 51·6% was immune lactoglobulin, of sedimentation constant 6–6·5S. No such component occurs in precolostral sera. The electrophoretic and ultracen-trifugal characteristics of this globulin were not significantly altered as the result of absorption. The acquisition of immune lactoglobulin was accompanied by a simultaneous fall in serum albumin concentration.

4. Examination of colostrum, rennin-produced colostral whey, and of electrophoretic fractions prepared from colostrum showed the presence of a small proportion of a macroglobulin (S020 ≅ 18S), a well-defined immune lactoglobulin of S020 ≅ 6·4S and electrophoretic properties in the γ-range, and a group of electrophoretically more mobile components with sedimentation constants ranging downwards from 3S.

5. Electrophoretically prepared fractions from the serum of a deprived calf 27 days old showed sedimentation properties in conformity with the results on precolostral sera, with the macroglobulin component being again associated with α globulin. The remainder of α and β globulin sedimented alongside albumin and the additional γ-globulin component in a single boundary of S020 ≅ 6·5–7S.

6. The concentration of autogenous γ globulin developed by calves which had been deprived of colostrum increased with time and was generally in fair agreement with that of the 6·5–7S component.

The authors wish to thank Sir Alan Drury, F.R.S., for his interest and encouragement during the course of this work, Mr N. Buttress, Mr D. Hardman and Miss J. Mallon for technical assistance and Mr J. Clark for assistance in the care and handling of the calves.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 57 , Issue 3 , September 1959 , pp. 309 - 320
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1959

References

REFERENCES

Bangham, D. R., Ingram, P. L., Roy, J. H. B., Shillam, K. W. G. & Terry, R. J. (1958). The absorption of131 I-labelled serum and colostral proteins from the gut of the young calf. Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 149, 184.Google Scholar
Barr, M., Glenny, A. T. & Randall, K. J. (1950). Diphtheria immunization in young babies. Study of some factors involved. Lancet, i, 6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, M., Glenny, A. T., Hignett, S., Randall, K.J. & Thomson, A. (1952). Antigenic efficiency of fluid and precipitated diphtheria prophylactics in very young babies and lambs. Lancet, ii, 803.Google Scholar
Bradish, C. J., Henderson, W. M. & Brooksby, J. B. (1954). Electrophoretic studies of oxserum. 2. The sera of cattle infected with the virus of foot-and-mouth disease. Biochem. J. 56, 335.Google Scholar
Cann, J. R. (1953). Ultracentrifugal properties of human gamma-globulins prepared by electrophoresis-convection. J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 75, 4213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halliday, R. (1957). The production of antibodies by young rats. Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 147, 140.Google ScholarPubMed
Harrington, W. F., Johnson, P. & Ottewill, R. H. (1956). Bovine serum albumin and its behaviour in acid solution. Biochem. J. 62, 569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kerr, W. R. & Robertson, M. (1954). Passively and actively acquired antibodies for Trichomonas foetus in very young calves. J. Hyg., Camb., 52, 253.Google Scholar
M¨ller-Eberhard, H. J. & Kunkel, H. G. (1956). The carbohydrate of γ-globulin and myeloma proteins. J. Exp. Med. 104, 253.Google Scholar
Pedersen, K. O. (1936a). Ultracentrifugal and electrophoretic studies on the milk proteins. I. Introduction and preliminary results with fractions from skim milk. Biochem. J. 30, 948.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pedersen, K. O. (1936b). Ultracentrifugal and electrophoretic studies on the milk proteins. II. The lactoglobulin of Palmer. Biochem. J. 30, 961.Google Scholar
Pedersen, K. O. (1944). Fetuin, a new globulin isolated from serum. Nature, Lond., 154, 575.Google Scholar
Pedersen, K. O. (1945). Ultracentrifugal studies on serum and serum fractions. Uppsala.Google Scholar
Pedersen, K. O. (1947). Ultracentrifugal and electrophoretic studies on fetuin. J. phys. Chem. 51, 164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pierce, A. E. (1955a). Electrophoretic and immunological studies on sera from calves from birth to weaning. I. Electrophoretic studies. J. Hyg., Camb., 53, 247.Google Scholar
Pierce, A. E. (1955b). Electrophoretic and immunological studies on sera from calves from birth to weaning. II. Electrophoretic and serological studies with special reference to the normal and induced agglutinins to Trichomonas foetus. J. Hyg., Camb., 53, 261.Google Scholar
Pierce, A. E. (1959). J. Physiol. (In the Press.)Google Scholar
Tiselius, A. (1937). A new apparatus for electrophoretic analysis of colloidal mixtures. Trans. Faraday Soc. 33, 524.Google Scholar
Vahlquist, B. (1949). Response of infants to diphtheria immunization. Lancet, i, 16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar